


Sugar

by akapolarbear



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Byakuya Togami is a mature adult who Cannot Stand not knowing things, Domestic Fluff, M/M, also Byakuya is a coffee snob because of course he is, honestly 90 percent of this fic is just blatant domestic fluff, includes minor allusions to ADHD Byakuya because that's a headcanon i'm keeping, meanwhile Makoto's just trying his best to properly Adult, the other 10 percent is Byakuya overthinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-20 21:29:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16563488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akapolarbear/pseuds/akapolarbear
Summary: He reaches across the table for Byakuya's mug. Byakuya says nothing at first, more content to just watch in curiosity, and it's when Makoto drinks from it that he's left struck by confusion.Not once in their near ten years of being in a relationship has Makoto ever shown interest in coffee.





	Sugar

**Author's Note:**

> this was not supposed to get this long...but it did. so enjoy the extended gay married fluff, i guess. meanwhile i'm gonna go die except i can't because it's NaNo and i still have more words to write to get back on par

It's a curious thing he just happens to take note of one morning.  
  
Byakuya won't need to be at work for another hour and it's Makoto's day off so he's in no particular rush this morning. Originally, his husband was planning on using that as a reason to sleep in, which Byakuya was more than willing to let him indulge in - it was really none of his business nor his concern how Makoto chose to spend his day off - but apparently that plan didn't pan out too well, as Makoto ended up trudging into the kitchen five minutes later, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  
  
Byakuya doesn't plan on voicing the obvious question, but after only a single glance at him, Makoto is willing to answer it with no other prompting. "The bed's too big for one person." He mumbles as he sinks into a seat at the table and Byakuya notes that the disappointment in his tone and the lazy pout on his lips makes the man sitting across from him look like a child. "I got lonely by myself."  
  
Byakuya hums in response as he takes a sip of his coffee. "Mmm, then how do you plan on surviving the rest of the day without me?" Only half of his mind is focused on the conversation, in all honesty. Though he might make it look effortless on the outside, mornings were never a strong suit of his and until his medication kicks in, his routine to get ready at the start of each new day feels like a slog on the inside. However, said medication has already been taken and he has his freshly brewed mug of coffee, so it's only a matter of time before the haze lifts and the world starts to click into its proper focus.  
  
Until then, he's busying himself with something mindless, something mechanical he can do without much focus: flipping through the mail. Anything important would be sent to his mailbox at his office or sent as a work email; most of the envelopes in hand are junk for the shredder. While he throws another envelope to the pile for the trash, Makoto replies, "I'll just call Kyoko when you leave and we'll spend the rest of the day gossiping about you."  
  
"Please," Byakuya says, feeling no need to hide the slight smile playing on his lips, "Kyoko isn't the type for pointless gossip. And have you forgotten she also has a job she'll be busy with today?"  
  
"She's working the desk right now since her last big case just wrapped up; she'll have time for me. Besides, she loves hearing all the stories I have about you."  
  
"She told you her case wrapped up? Is she allowed to be divulging that kind of information so soon to someone of the public?"  
  
"I mean..." Makoto's teasing tone is gone, replaced by uneasiness as he scratches his cheek, "I guess? She told me without me even having to ask about it, so I figure no one's going to get in trouble over this. Hopefully, anyway."  
  
Byakuya  _hears_  the words being said, but unfortunately, the channel in his mind that was tuned into the conversation has switched over to something else, so the actual meaning of them is lost on him. He assumes that since this is just casual morning conversation before the day truly starts, it's nothing important enough to warrant him asking for it to be repeated, so instead, he just nods absent-mindedly, knowing that Makoto knows him enough to understand what that means:  _I'm sorry, my brain isn't firing on all cylinders yet, you'll have to give me a bit longer._  
  
Makoto doesn't try to grab his attention again and the topic drops without much thought, so it seems the message has gotten across and the two of them slip into a comfortable silence. Byakuya is about to throw the last of the mail to the pile when he catches the glimpse of his name in handwriting on the envelope and sets his coffee mug down to take it in both hands.  
  
"Did we get something important this morning?" Makoto asks curiously as Byakuya takes note of the familiar international address.  
  
"From my mother." He answers, and at that moment, it occurs to him that his letter opener is in the study and he doesn't particularly feel like going upstairs to get it. However, he also doesn't want to leave reading it until after work on the off chance it could slip his mind. So instead, he forces himself up from the table to cross over to the kitchen counter for a knife; the absolute last thing he's willing to do is to rip the envelope open with his hands like a damned neanderthal.  
  
As he slips the knife's blade through the edge of the envelope, careful not to accidentally cut himself, he hears Makoto's voice from behind him. "You don't think anything's wrong, do you?"  
  
Though they've only been able to meet on a few occasions and the conversations they've had couldn't have been very in depth what with his mother's Japanese being fragmented, Makoto has taken a genuine liking to her. If Byakuya had to guess the reason why, the most obvious assumption would be that, of Makoto's in-laws, she is the obvious lesser of two evils and the most...humanizing of Byakuya's immediate family.  
  
"I doubt as much," Byakuya replies as he removes the letter inside and turns, back leaning against the cabinets and elbows resting on the countertop as he scans the first few lines. As he assumed, there is no sense of urgency to the message; rather, it's a simple correspondence to make sure he is well, and also to check up on Makoto's well-being too, it seems. The fondness between them is mutual, and even if Byakuya wasn't married to the man in question, he could clearly see why. Makoto has always been a family oriented individual and the picture of a perfect son. If one didn't know any better, they would assume that Byakuya was the son-in-law of the relationship. "No, no, everything is fine; she just wants to keep in touch. She asks how you're doing."  
  
"Oh, wow, that...that's nice of her! Uh, yeah, I'm doing good; work's nice, you're nice - I-I mean,  _we're_ nice, us, we're...yeah, ah, everything's going fine for me!" Byakuya just happens to glance up at that moment to watch as Makoto sputters flusteredly - because for some reason the man is always baffled when people go out of their way to show that they like him in any capacity - and that's when he sees it.  
  
As Makoto tries to recover and make himself look like less of an absolute fool - an admittedly attractive fool, yes, but a fool nonetheless - he reaches across the table for Byakuya's mug, the one he left behind when he went to get the knife. Byakuya says nothing at first, more content to just watch in curiosity, and it's when Makoto drinks from it that he's left struck by confusion.  
  
Not once in their near ten years of being in a relationship has Makoto  _ever_ shown interest in coffee.  
  
Or, well, Byakuya supposes by a technicality that isn't entirely true; the man drinks iced coffee from a can, processed and loaded up with sweeteners and artificial flavors. But fresh coffee -  _real_  coffee, as far as Byakuya is concerned - has never caught Makoto's interests. He isn't quite sure what to say at first, but what he is sure of is that, while he truly loves the man sitting in front of him, that is still  _his_  morning coffee and just because he set it down for a moment doesn't make it suddenly fair game. "There's more coffee in the pot if you wanted some for yourself."  
  
Makoto's shoulders jump at being called out and he immediately sets the mug back down as he swallows, face ridden with guilt like a child whose hand was caught in the cookie jar. "Oh, sorry, no, that's fine! I'm okay without, really."  
  
Byakuya's curiosity is still piqued, however, because nothing about what Makoto just did makes any sense. He stole Byakuya's coffee for a drink, despite never having like coffee before, and then turned down the offer of coffee for himself when presented with it. Why? Not only that, but there's an unfamiliar expression on his face that Byakuya can't quite place, disappointment maybe? Perhaps disgust? "Is there something  _wrong_  with my coffee?"  
  
"What? No! No, it's  _fine_ , really!" Makoto forces a smile that's almost convincing as he shrugs apologetically. "I only wanted one drink, that's all. I'm not that thirsty."  
  
Byakuya isn't convinced there isn't something more there to it, but even still, he lets the issue drop and looks back down to the letter in his hands. A few moments later, he catches movement from the corner of his eye and looks up just in time to see that same unpleasant look on Makoto's face before the man retrieves the milk from the refrigerator and pours himself a glass. Byakuya says nothing as he watches Makoto down half the glass in one go, but his eyes narrow.  
  
_Not that thirsty, then? Makoto, you're a poor liar._  
  
He doesn't push an accusation then, mostly because he isn't entirely sure what to be accusing Makoto of just yet, so instead, he waits. He reclaims his coffee, occasionally steals a glance at Makoto nursing the glass of milk, and before he knows it, an alarm on his phone is telling him he needs to be out the door in the next ten minutes. Makoto wishes him a good day at work, they share a kiss goodbye that tastes  _entirely_  too much like milk for his liking, and by the time he's halfway to his office, he's practically all but forgotten his husband's strange behavior.  
  
That is, until the next morning.  
  
Despite his title back in school being "The Ultimate Lucky Student", Makoto isn't so lucky to be granted two days off in a row, and so he's up and struggling to get himself awake right beside Byakuya that morning. However, while Byakuya has conditioned himself to a routine over the years, Makoto's morning organization skills are...less so. While Byakuya is already pouring his usual morning mug of coffee, Makoto is just then walking into the kitchen as he struggles with his tie.  
  
Byakuya watches the display for a moment as he tries to decide whether he finds it amusing or just plain sad. He eventually settles on the former, though he's sure that's in no small part because of the person in question doing the struggling. Were the person in his kitchen fumbling to put on his tie, say, Yasuhiro Hagakure or Leon Kuwata, he's positive he would find the scene much less endearing - and much more alarming, at that rate, seeing as how he would never in his right mind allow either of those men past the threshold of his front door, let alone welcome them into his kitchen.  
  
At any rate, while he is enjoying himself, he's sure that simply observing Makoto's floundering is unnecessarily cruel of him, and so he sets down his drink with a sigh and simply says, "Come here." Makoto looks up from the tangled mess he's made of his tie, wide-eyed hazels blinking in bewilderment, but he obeys nonetheless and once he's in reach, Byakuya takes the knotted fabric into his own hands. "Honestly, Makoto, you're twenty-six years old and yet you still don't know how to dress yourself in the morning."   
  
With a few tugs, he's able to rework the tie until it's straightened and tied  _properly_ , and by the time he's finished, Makoto's face is flushed a thorough, embarrassed pink. "I'm sorry, not all of us were trained in how to tie a Windsor knot by the time we were  _three_." His tone is sarcastic, but the smile on his face gives him away; Makoto has always been far too earnest to pull off sarcasm correctly.  
  
Byakuya, on the other hand, is fluent in multiple languages, and sarcasm is but one of many he has under his belt. "How exactly did you even manage to survive high school without your mother present every morning?"  
  
Makoto grins and does a sheepish one-shouldered shrug. "The week before I moved into the dorms, I printed out a how-to article on wearing ties off the internet." Byakuya wants to believe that's his attempt at a joke judging by the laugh accompanying the statement, but at the same time, it's also the exact kind of thing that he can see a clumsy, seventeen-year-old Makoto doing in order to make a good first impression among the Ultimates that made up the rest of their class. "But still, thanks." To emphasize his gratitude, Makoto places a hand on Byakuya's shoulder and uses that as leverage to lean up and plant a kiss against his jaw.  
  
He sighs his contentment at his lover's touch into his coffee and at that exact point of time, it feels that all is right with his world. However, his moment of familiar stability cracks and falls away soon after when Makoto reaches past him and takes hold of the coffee pot. Suddenly he's reminded of his husband's newfound interest in hot brewed coffee and that the puzzle of where it came from is still unsolved.  
  
"What are you doing?" He tries to keep the suspicion in his voice to a minimum, but apparently, his curiosity comes across as a bit too hostile, judging by the way Makoto goes still at the question, shoulders tensed.  
  
"Oh, uh, I was just...getting some coffee?" There's a smile on Makoto's face as he says it, but the fact that it was phrased as a question alongside the way his eyebrow quirks uncertainly suggests that he's scared his actions will be met with resistance, like he's nervous or...guilty. He's expecting Byakuya to call him out, which must mean that he knows just as well that his behavior is uncharacteristic of him. When Byakuya doesn't respond immediately, he continues, because another bad habit of Makoto's is that he talks far too much when he's nervous. "I mean, y-you said I could have some yesterday, so...so I just figured - I'm sorry, was that offer not still on the table anymore?"  
  
He still doesn't have enough information to call his husband out on whatever it is that he's doing, but the fact that he  _doesn't know_  what Makoto's issue is won't stop bothering him. He supposes that the logical solution would simply be to ask - something along the lines of,  _Since when do you drink coffee in the mornings? -_  but his pride refuses to let that be the answer. He can dissect this behavior for himself; he just needs a bit more time and a few more pieces before the whole picture comes together. So he tries his best to give off an air of casual indifference when he answers, "No, by all means, help yourself."  
  
With that confirmation, the hint of unsureness in Makoto's expression evaporates and he replies teasingly, "Well, thank you for your permission,  _sir_ ," before setting to work in preparing his own morning coffee.  
  
And the process is something that Byakuya finds most interesting to observe.  
  
He's aware that Makoto knows how to brew coffee, as the other man has done it for him previously in their relationship on days when Byakuya had been ill and stuck in bed or simply when Makoto just wanted to be nice and surprise him. However, he himself has already brewed the coffee so all that's left is to prepare the cup, which on all accounts should be a simple process. Yet judging by how Makoto momentarily freezes as he stands there with the pot of coffee in hand, Byakuya can only draw one conclusion.   
  
Makoto has absolutely no idea what he's doing.  
  
He supposes that makes some sense, seeing as how Makoto had no previous interest in coffee and thus has no reason to know anything about the process of preparing it. But with that in mind, even knowing nothing, it still seems as if Makoto is willing to  _try_ , opening the cabinet above his head and pulling down a cup from the lowest shelf as it's the only one he can comfortably reach without having to stretch for it.   
  
However, the issue there lies with the fact that the only things on the lowest shelf of that particular cabinet are teacups. After all, Makoto likes tea but - before now, at least - doesn't like coffee, so Byakuya never saw an issue with arranging it so that his coffee mugs were just slightly out of Makoto's natural reach. And while, yes, technically, a teacup can hold coffee just as well as a mug could, the same could be said of a wine glass and yet people didn't exactly go around, drinking their morning brew like they were sipping Chardonnay, now did they?  
  
Byakuya thinks that, despite being willing to give coffee the good college try, Makoto might find it a bit  _too_  mortifying to also have to pull over a chair just to be able to reach the higher shelf, so he at least offers, "Do you want me to get an actual  _mug_  for you?"  
  
Makoto pauses again, another of his short little "deer caught in the headlights" moments that seem to be punctuating every step of this process. If it wasn't for the fact that not knowing what Makoto's game was here was driving him insane, Byakuya may have found it cute, charming even. "Ah, no, that's fine," he says after his short hesitation, and that uncertain, sheepish smile from before is back, "I really don't think I'm thirsty enough to drink a whole mug."  
  
There it is again, the same excuse:  _not thirsty_. He has to wonder, does Makoto really think he wouldn't notice the same excuse twice? Does Makoto really think he wouldn't have picked up on it being a lie the first time? He doesn't respond directly, just stares and takes a sip from his mug. He  _wants_  to give Makoto the chance to come clean, to admit to the lie that was never going to fool anyone, but Makoto doesn't take the opportunity presented to him in that moment of silence. Instead, he just tacks on an awkward chuckle to his previous statement and gets back to preparing his  _teacup_  of coffee.  
  
Byakuya...isn't exactly sure how he expects Makoto to prepare his own coffee, but part of him at least expects the process to take longer, which is why he's surprised when Makoto pours his minuscule amount of coffee into his tiny teacup and then does nothing else. His husband simply puts the coffee pot back onto the hotplate and takes his coffee to sit at the table. Makoto has decided to take his coffee  _black_ , which seems highly out of character for someone whose only previous experiences with coffee are canned iced coffees full of sugar. It's bold, at the very least. Byakuya has little room to judge; black is how he takes his coffee every morning -  
  
And just like that, it clicks.  
  
Byakuya takes his coffee black. Makoto knows this, having made him coffee before. It wouldn't be a stretch to think that black is the only way Makoto knows  _how_  to make coffee. On top of that, judging by the way he's been stopping dead in his tracks every time Byakuya's said anything about his coffee making process this morning, Makoto must know his behavior's being judged, meaning he can't exactly stop to experiment with sugar and milk ratios, or whatever it is that Makoto might prefer in his coffee.  
  
Byakuya finds his mind drifting back to the overwhelming taste of dairy on yesterday's kiss goodbye.  
  
...Yes, Makoto would definitely be the type to add milk to his coffee.  
  
He lingers by the counter with that thought in mind for a moment, mulling over Makoto's actions as he stares into his mug. Yes, some the mystery is starting to come together, sure, but not all of it. There's still the question of what triggered this sudden urge for coffee, as well as the issue of Makoto's poor lie and why he feels the need to hide the truth of...whatever is he's doing. And to figure that out, Byakuya needs more evidence to work off of; he still doesn't have enough to draw any concrete conclusions yet.  
  
Byakuya takes his usual seat at the table across from Makoto just in time to see his husband's first tentative sip from his cup. The way he flinches when he pulls his lips away from the rim of the porcelain, Byakuya initially thinks that the coffee was too hot and he drank a bit too quickly, but that theory dies when Makoto doesn't complain.   
  
Physical pain has never been something that Makoto knows how to deal with gracefully. At the first sign of discomfort, he'll yelp or whine or otherwise make everyone in his immediate vicinity acutely aware that he is in pain and not happy about it. Everything, from accidentally running into the coffee table to giving himself a paper cut, no matter how small the injury actually is, he  _will_  complain about it. Burning his mouth would be no exception.  
  
And yet, Makoto stays silent. No whine of pain, no "ow," whispered under his breath. Just a look of mild discomfort as he sets his cup down on the table. In fact, it's a familiar expression, now that Byakuya is dwelling on it; it's the same one from yesterday, just after Makoto had stolen a drink of his coffee. So, an expression of discomfort - not one caused by pain, at that - that Makoto's face has taken on every time he takes a sip of coffee?  
  
Thinking of it like that, Byakuya suddenly feels like a complete imbecile. He'd even initially thought that it was a look of disgust but had dismissed the notion far too quickly. The answer here is obvious.  
  
It  _is_  a look of disgust, because Makoto  _doesn't like_  coffee. It's been as plain and simple as that this entire time.  
  
But...again, that just seems to raise more questions; if he doesn't enjoy coffee, why willingly submit himself to it? Yesterday can be explained as just wanting to try it for himself, just once, but then once it should've been made obvious that he didn't like it, why would he go so far as to prepare himself a cup the very next day? Byakuya just doesn't  _understand_ , and while yes, not entirely understanding Makoto was one of the things that had drawn him to the boy in the first place during their time in high school, he still finds this little 'puzzle' incredibly frustrating.  
  
He's snapped out of his thoughts, quite literally, when Makoto tries catching his attention by clicking his fingers in his face and Byakuya's shoulders involuntarily tense at the sound. Makoto must notice the discomfort and realize fairly quickly that he has Byakuya's focus entirely by the way he hastily withdraws his hand and drops it into his lap like a student who had just had a ruler cracked across his fingers. "Uh, s-sorry, I know you hate that, but you weren't answering me."  
  
Though he's mostly trained himself to stop feeling shame for the rare occasions that he's caught spacing out, that doesn't stop the touch of embarrassment Byakuya feels creeping up the back of his neck. "Ah, I'm sorry. What was that?"  
  
Makoto hesitates before replying, and the genuine concern reflected in his eyes is gorgeous but maddening. "I asked if there was something wrong; you looked...really angry about something."  
  
_Yes, yes, there is something wrong_ , is what he wants to say.  _You've never liked coffee before, and in fact, you still don't, but yet, here you are, forcing yourself to drink it - out of a damn teacup, no less - and also let's not forget that you're lying for some reason, and I just don't understand why._  He knows exactly what he wants to say, but stops himself, holds his tongue, because asking would mean admitting that this is a problem he can't solve on his own. Asking would mean admitting that perhaps, even after almost ten years, he doesn't understand his husband as well as he thought he did. And yes, perhaps the entire matter is something petty and insignificant in the grand scheme of their relationship, but Byakuya Togami is nothing without his pride and he never bows down before a challenge.  
  
So instead, what he says is, "Mmm, you'll have to forgive me, I suppose I was thinking too hard about work. No, nothing's the matter, just dwelling on a business deal we have to push through the final stages."  
  
Makoto nods slowly, staring back with nothing but blank confusion, the same way he always does when the topic of Byakuya's work arises in conversation. His husband has tried many times before to understand what it is that Byakuya does at his corporation, but never seems to quite be able to wrap his head around the details. "Right...well, uh, that's good!" Makoto's tone brightens with a hint of a laugh. "Or, no, I mean, not good that work's bothering you, just good that...well, I kind of thought you were mad at me for something. You had this really intense look in your eyes and when you didn't answer me at first, I thought maybe you were ignoring me."  
  
"What on earth would I have to be mad at you about?" Byakuya asks in response, because if Makoto confesses of his own accord, that still counts as a victory in Byakuya's favor.  
  
"Uh, maybe that I...stole some of your coffee yesterday morning?" Makoto answers with an uncertain smile as he reaches up to scratch behind his ear, another telltale sign of nervousness. "I didn't think it'd be that big of a deal since it was just one drink, but I didn't take into account how important your morning coffee is to you and I didn't even ask, so...I'm sorry." He finishes as his shoulders drop, going to take another sip from his  _teacup_ of coffee. His grimace is somewhat masked this time by the awkward look of guilt already on his face.  
  
"Ah, I'd already forgotten about that," Byakuya says and yes, now they're both lying, but he figures that it's fair game. After all, it's not the stolen drink of coffee that's still eating at his mind; it's the grand scheme of this whole thing. And on top of that, even if the entire issue wasn't at hand, a petty thing like one sip of coffee isn't a grudge Byakuya would ever think of keeping, especially not against his own husband of all people. "At any rate, there's certainly no need to apologize for it, now that you've proven you know how to make your own coffee in the morning and no longer need to take mine."  
  
He phrases it like he's simply poking fun and punctuates it with a casual smirk. In reality, he's hoping that addressing the issue and bringing it to the forefront of the conversation will draw some clue forth he can use to piece together another part of this mystery. However, the most he gets from Makoto is an embarrassed pink blush highlighting his cheekbones which, while beautiful and very much appreciated, is not quite what he's looking for. "So does this mean the coffee offer is a permanent thing now? Like, if I want coffee tomorrow too, that's okay?"  
  
If it means more hints as to what Makoto's problem here is? "Of course. Anything for you, love."  
  
Very rarely does Byakuya bother dealing in pet names, as he feels over-saturation of them dilutes the meaning. Even still, Makoto's reaction to them has always been consistent and without fail, and as if on cue, the faint pink that was already dusted across his face deepens to an attractive red. If that's all he'll be getting out of this exchange, well, Byakuya supposes he can't complain. "Oh, uh, thanks, g-good to know."  
  
He waits for Makoto say more, but all his husband does is try to hide his face by staring pointedly into his into his coffee, taking hold of it with both hands but hesitating to take another drink. The silence between them hangs for just a few more seconds before Makoto hastily rises, making up some excuse about how he needs to go find his keys, leaving behind his teacup still half full. He doesn't come back to finish it.  
  
Byakuya tries his best not to let the dilemma from home affect his work that day and forces it to the corner of his mind, filed away for later. Yet during moments of dull paperwork where all he's doing is going through the repetitive motions of signing his name on dotted lines, he drifts back to back it, just to go through the facts of what he knows.   
  
Makoto does not like coffee. Despite that obvious fact, he keeps making himself drink it anyway. On top of all that, he also clearly doesn't know much about coffee, given that his only method of preparation observed so far is the most basic: black coffee, no additives. His repeated lie of "not being that thirsty" was most likely an attempt to hide the issue of him not enjoying coffee; "I'm not that thirsty," translates to, "I don't want that much coffee because I don't enjoy the taste and I want to subject myself to it as little as possible." That would also explain the teacup; his thought process may have been something along the lines of, "I definitely won't be able to finish drinking a whole mug, but maybe, if I try, I'll at least be able to handle a teacup's worth of coffee."  
  
That plan hadn't panned out too well for him, now had it?  
  
But again, despite piecing all that together, Byakuya still hadn't cracked the mystery:  _why?_  Why; that one word alone was driving him mad. Perhaps he was simply being too impatient; it had only been two days so far, but still. However...if he's being entirely honest with himself, despite the curiosity gnawing at him, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't at least partially enjoying himself. Even after almost ten years, Makoto somehow still manages to surprise and intrigue him from time to time, and holds his attention in all the best ways possible.   
  
He had made the "coffee offer a permanent thing", as Makoto had put it, hadn't he? He signs off on another document and finds himself hoping that Makoto will take him up on it again tomorrow morning, just to see where this little puzzle goes next.  
  
And yet, despite that anticipation sticking in his mind, what he isn't expecting the next morning is to wake up...strangely colder than usual. Or, rather, it isn't a deep in-set chill, but more, a lack of familiar warmth. When his eyes open hazily, he also notes the absence of the pressure typically nuzzled into his side or clinging to his arm like a koala. Reaching over to his nightstand for his glasses, he confirms his suspicions: he's woken up to a half-empty bed. Makoto is nowhere to be seen. There's no sign of him in their bedroom and on top of that his nightwear has already been discarded, meaning that unless he's chosen to walk around in his underwear this morning, he must be already up and dressed for the day.  
  
For him to be up and about before Byakuya's even woken up is an oddity, to say the least. Even stranger is that he wasn't even aware that Makoto had gotten an early start and he isn't exactly a deep sleeper. He wouldn't go so far to describe himself as a  _restless_  sleeper, but he's certainly not hard to wake, meaning that most likely, Makoto had gone out of his way to  _avoid_  waking him up. It's odd behavior, at any rate, but then again, odd behavior is something that Makoto seems to be specializing in recently.  
  
Byakuya pulls himself from bed and sets about his morning routine, though he can't help but admit that it feels wrong, almost lonely to be going through the process without Makoto right behind him, doing little things to offer help like handing him his socks or asking if he'd remembered to take his pill. He isn't given long to dwell on those mild feelings of emptiness, though, as he finds the object of his affections waiting for him in the kitchen. But that isn't what catches him off guard.  
  
No, the thing he finds most baffling as he enters the room is the familiar and pleasant scent of fresh coffee that greets him.  
  
"Oh, good morning!" Makoto chirps with a bright smile, surprisingly chipper. While Makoto's never  _not_  been a morning person, his energy today seems higher than normal, which is also a little off. But the thing that has to be the most strange about the picture before him, the one detail that pushes this morning past the boundary of just being "a little off" is the mug of coffee Makoto's holding in his hands.  
  
There's a lot for Byakuya to unpack here and he isn't entirely sure where he's supposed to start, but he knows that he has to say something rather than just standing in the doorway of his kitchen like a dull-eyed imbecile, so he starts with a simple nod of acknowledgment followed by, "Yes...good morning." He pauses while he struggles to organize his thoughts and he doesn't think he's ever been more frustrated over how long it takes for his medicine to take effect in the mornings than this moment right now. He has to force himself to say something before Makoto starts getting concerned, and the first thought he can get out is, "You're certainly awake early."  
  
"Ah, yeah, I...guess I just wanted to get a head start on today, you know?" Makoto answers with a light shrug. His reply is so casual that Byakuya may have actually believed it if it hadn't been for his split second of hesitance. So he's back to lying again, then? At least this one isn't as obvious as his previous usage of "not being that thirsty" followed immediately by drinking milk like he'd been dehydrated for days. "Sorry if I scared you when you woke up without me there. You just looked so calm asleep that it didn't feel right waking you up."  
  
That apology steals his attention away from all the other oddities currently happening that morning and he can't stop himself from responding without thinking, "I wasn't  _scared_ ; what was there to be scared of?"  
  
"Well, I dunno, what if I'd been kidnapped?" Makoto asks, trying to maintain a look of gravity and hurt, but doesn't quite manage to mask his smile.  
  
"Hmm, yes, of course; a kidnapper would've been able to break into our house and steal you from our bed without waking me? Why didn't I think of that?"  
  
"Or, what if...I ran away?"  
  
"Makoto, we've been married for four years now and before that, dating for five. If you truly wanted that badly to get away from me, you would've long since done it by now, and that's an incredibly large  _if_."  
  
That's the remark that breaks his mask of faux seriousness and Makoto's smile shines through as he laughs. "Okay, fine, you got me there, I guess I do love you too much to pull a stunt like that."  
  
The teasing should ease Byakuya's tensions a little, and fine, perhaps Makoto's laughter does manage that ever-so-slightly, but more importantly, his mind is still automatically drawn to everything that's wrong with this picture.  _Stop. One thing at a time; if you don't, you'll only end up getting overwhelmed_ , he mentally reminds himself. Right. One thing at a time.  
  
As calmly as he can manage and hopefully without letting how fast his mind is currently working show, he nods toward the pot of coffee on the hotplate sitting on their counter and states, "You made the coffee this morning."  
  
"Oh, yeah, I did!" Byakuya didn't think it was possible for Makoto's attitude to get any brighter this morning, but it seems his husband is just full of surprises today. Makoto beams proudly as he points to where the coffee sits, as if it ever sits anywhere else on the countertop. "Since I was awake early today, I thought it'd be nice to surprise you when you woke up!"  
  
_Well, mission accomplished, then,_ Byakuya thinks dryly while on the outside, he simply nods silently. While it is somewhat confusing, he supposes that technically this isn't the first time Makoto's made coffee as a surprise, but on previous occasions, Makoto wouldn't also be partaking in the coffee himself. Still, confusing or not, Byakuya certainly isn't about to turn down coffee that he didn't have to make himself and considering how unfocused his mind feels this morning, he definitely needs it.  
  
He figures that as he goes about making his coffee, he can still dissect some of the strangeness in Makoto's behavior and as he pulls a mug from the cabinet, he catches sight of the teacups on the lowest shelf. He supposes that's as good a place as any to start. "So, you're actually drinking a full mug of coffee this morning. Thirsty enough, then?"  
  
He isn't facing Makoto as he pours his coffee and frankly, he doesn't have to be; going by Makoto's verbal reaction alone, he can already imagine the expression on his face: eyes wide, shoulders drawn up like he'd been caught, maybe even a little color added to his cheeks. "Uh, y-yeah, I guess I am, heh." By now, he's sure Makoto realizes that he knows that had been a poor excuse all along, or if he hadn't realized it before, he certainly does now, what with Byakuya specifically recalling the lie.  
  
Well, if Byakuya's pushed this far and already started revealing his hand, he might as well see how far he can take this. "It's funny; I was actually starting to suspect that maybe you didn't like coffee at all." He turns away from the countertop with his own coffee mug in hand and just by chance happens to catch a glimpse of the contents of Makoto's mug over his shoulder. The liquid is definitely coffee, yes, but unlike the typical dark, black brew that Byakuya's grown accustomed to over the years, it's been tinged a warm, creamy brown.  
  
Ah, it's just as he thought, then; Makoto  _is_  the type to take milk in his coffee.  
  
"Hey, c'mon!" Makoto responds, half offended as Byakuya takes his seat across from him at the kitchen table. "I'm an  _adult_ , I can handle coffee!" As if to demonstrate his point, he takes a large drink from his cup and them smiles victoriously when he sets it down on the table, like he'd just won a major battle in their relationship.  
  
His phrasing is interesting, though; he's an "adult"? Of course he's an adult, the man is  _twenty-six_. What on earth would have brought that up? As that particular question sticks with him, Byakuya offhandedly voices another of his curiosities. "Mmm. How many sugars do you take?"  
  
It's just a hunch he has that Makoto would take sugar in his coffee at all, but it makes sense considering his husband's predisposition to sweets. But then, as soon as that question is asked, Makoto's smile wanes. His eyes suddenly dart downward to his coffee as he takes it into his hands and then, taking a much smaller, less confident sip this time, mumbles into his mug, "...Five."  
  
At first, it's like the response doesn't register in Byakuya's mind. Surely he must have heard that wrong, correct? He blinks slowly, eyebrows raised, and repeats, "Five. You said five?" Makoto doesn't make eye contact when he puts his drink down and only offers a subtle sheepish nod as an answer.  _Five_. Even with the confirmation, it still doesn't seem correct. It can't be.   
  
He doesn't ask permission when he reaches across the table and grabs Makoto's mug. The other man begins to protest, but whatever cry he was getting ready to shout dies halfway in his throat, presumably upon realizing he had done just the same to Byakuya only a few days prior. Instead, he chooses to fidget in a fit of disappointment as Byakuya takes a cautious sip.  
  
Ah. No. Makoto had definitely been telling the truth.  _Five sugars._  
  
Byakuya returns the mug with one hand, sliding the offending drink back across the table, while he tries his best to cough  _subtly_  into his other. Unfortunately, he doesn't think he manages that. He runs his tongue over his teeth to get the overwhelming sweetness unstuck from them and he can practically feel them rotting out of his head. "Congratulations," he eventually manages to choke out, "you've made  _syrup_."  
  
"It isn't  _that_  bad!" Makoto says as he steals his mug back, his voice rising to the slightly higher awkward pitch that it often does when he finds himself incredibly flustered. Then, much quieter, almost like he's ashamed to say so, he adds, "I mean... _I_  like it."  
  
Suddenly Byakuya feels as though maybe he pushed too far. He hadn't meant anything horrible by the comment - although,  _really_ , five sugars  _were_  entirely too much sugar for a cup of coffee that size - but it seemed as though his phrasing may have been a bit too harsh. He didn't expect the topic to be so sensitive for Makoto; it wasn't like this had been the first time Byakuya had teased him over his almost child-like love of all things sweet.  
  
Wait a moment; child-like? He can't recall entirely, but is that the exact phrasing that he's used before in the past? Dwelling on it, it sounds correct; in fact, he'd used that comparison quite a few times, hadn't he? And what had Makoto said earlier? He was "an  _adult_  who could handle coffee".   
  
That was it, wasn't it? This was the cause of Makoto's spontaneous desire for coffee.  
  
Makoto had come to associate coffee with adulthood, and in doing so, saw himself as childish for not being a coffee drinker.  
  
It would explain why he was upset now, after what was only meant to be an innocuous comment. Makoto had never reacted so poorly to comments like that before; the only difference should be that this time the comment was directly related to how he took his coffee. He'd been uncomfortable drinking it black, so he had tried to find a means to make it more palatable for himself, only to be called out on it being too sweet and, as such, still too childish for a man his age.  
  
It had taken three mornings for Byakuya to piece it all together and solve this little puzzle, but seeing the way Makoto's shoulders now droop as he stares into his mug with disappointment, it doesn't give him the feeling the satisfaction he'd hoped it would. "I...didn't mean to upset you."  
  
"N-no, it's fine," Makoto answers, giving a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "I mean...you're probably right, it is a lot of sugar to be taking in this early in the morning. I'll try cutting it back a little bit on sweetness tomorrow morning."  
  
Byakuya thinks to disagree because it shouldn't be his business on how much sugar his husband wants to drink in the morning, but at the same time, it certainly  _is_  a lot of sugar to be taking in this early in the morning and it probably would be better from Makoto's health - and teeth, for that matter - to cut back. So instead, he says nothing. He only offers his silence in response, and that same silence clings for the rest of the morning. Before he realizes, it's time for him to be heading out the door and on his way to work.  
  
He doesn't feel as though he did anything particularly  _wrong_ , but the fact of the matter is that, whether he's to blame or not, their conversation that morning had ended with Makoto being undeniably upset. And so Byakuya decides that he's going to fix this.  
  
He comes home that evening about an hour later than usual, to find Makoto laying on the couch with his head propped up on the armrest and supported by a pillow. His husband's already dressed down to his casual wear and is absentmindedly flipping through TV channels when he comes through the front door. Makoto's head pops up the second the door clicks behind him, and it seems that their morning conversation hadn't left too much of a negative effect judging by the way Makoto's eyes light up when he looks over. "Ah, there you are! I was wondering when you were finally gonna get home; did you get held behind for a meeting or something?"  
  
"Oh, no, I was just running an errand," Byakuya answers as he locks the door and slips off his shoes. "I didn't think it would take this long, so I didn't bother to call and tell you I'd be late, but unfortunately, traffic held me up. I'm sorry if I kept you waiting."  
  
"No, it's fine, I guess I was...a little lonely, is all." Makoto laughs to himself as he says that, sitting up on the couch and then drawing his knees up to his chest to make room. "The house feels too empty when I'm the only one home."  
  
Byakuya shrugs off his coat and hangs it by the door. "Is that meant to be hinting that you want children, or that you want a dog?"  
  
Makoto lets out a noise that sounds like a cross halfway between an amused snort and embarrassed sputtering. "It's  _meant_  to be hinting that I miss you when you're not here and that I enjoy your company, you jerk!" Byakuya makes his way over to where his husband is sitting and returns the compliment by planting a quick kiss on the top of his head. Makoto responds in turn by wrapping his arms around Byakuya's waist, which is usually the sign that he wants cuddling, but then his arms drop just a second later. "Uh, what's in the bag?"  
  
So it seems he had finally noticed. "I said I was on an errand, didn't I?" Byakuya answers as he readjusts his hold on the plastic grocery bag so he can properly hold it out towards Makoto. "I was picking you up a gift."  
  
However, Makoto doesn't take the bag immediately, instead choosing to fix Byakuya with an odd, bewildered look. "My birthday was a few weeks ago...and I couldn't have missed our anniversary because that isn't until April..." he says slowly as his gaze shifts downward to the bag being presented to him, "so what am I missing here?"  
  
"Am I not allowed to get you gifts for no particular reason?" Byakuya asks, though he supposes technically there  _is_  a reason and though Makoto might be slow at times, he's likely to pick up on it soon enough.  
  
"You just...aren't usually the type, but okay, I guess that's fair. And I'll admit, I'm curious." Makoto finally, almost hesitantly takes the bag from Byakuya's hand as if he's expecting this to be an out of character prank. However, his hesitance morphs into outright confusion when he removes the contents of the bag: another, this time factory sealed, bag. He flips it over to properly read the label, mumbling to himself as he does, "Uh, this is..."  
  
"Coffee." Byakuya supplies the answer and his crosses his arms. "Light roasted and infused with a smooth French vanilla flavoring. Significantly less bitter than what I drink and probably more to your tastes, since you clearly aren't a fan of my preferred blend."  
  
Makoto's head snaps up from the coffee bag in his hands and there it is again, his "caught like a deer in the headlights" look from days earlier. Now that Byakuya isn't preoccupied with decoding his husband's behavior anymore, he can finally truly appreciate it. Adorable. "What - n-no, I mean, your coffee is  _fine_ ; I don't-"  
  
"Do you really think your behavior wasn't obvious, Makoto?" Byakuya asks and part of himself feels ashamed to say that, because yes, the behavior  _had_  been obvious and yet it still took him far too long to piece it all together. Even as such, he keeps his expression unreadable, because unlike Makoto, he knows how to manage a poker face.  
  
As if to prove that point exactly, Makoto's face droops with his embarrassment written all over him. "I...I guess I was acting pretty weird about the whole thing, huh?"  
  
"Extremely," Byakuya says as he takes the seat Makoto had created when he shifted his positioning, speaking with the confidence of a man who hadn't been driving himself mad over this issue for days now. But...Makoto doesn't need to know that part and he certainly doesn't plan on revealing it any time soon.  
  
Speaking of Makoto, the man gently sets the bag of coffee beans in the gap between himself and the back cushions of the couch before leaning forward onto his knees and heaving a sigh. "...Okay. I'll explain everything, but...you have to promise that you won't laugh at me first."  
  
"Makoto, I've never laughed at anyone before in my life, let alone you," Byakuya replies flatly.  
  
Makoto hesitates at that response, but this time, it's not a hesitance caused by guilt or fear of being found out. Rather, his eyebrows are scrunched together like he's considering if that answer is good enough. The expression only lasts about two seconds at most, however, and then the muscles in his forehead relax as he nods slowly. "Yeah, okay, true enough, I guess. So, um..." There's another pause, but this one lasts even shorter before Makoto starts his explanation full swing. "Do you remember how I told you that Kyoko told  _me_  that her last big case finished a few days ago?"  
  
Byakuya actually has to stop to consider that. "Vaguely," he eventually settles on, because while it does sound familiar, he also feels like it was brought up during a conversation that he was only half present for.  
  
"Okay, well, she mentioned that to me while we having a day to catch up since she'd been so busy and all, like with work and stuff." Byakuya has to wonder what any of this has to do with anything, but then again, Makoto has always been the type who, when telling a story or giving an explanation, has to supply every possible detail he can in some nitpicky attempt to capture the scene. However, the answer clicks when Makoto goes on to say, "And the place we decided to meet up was the cafe, two blocks down from work."  
  
Now this story is starting to make sense. Byakuya is familiar with the cafe; he and Makoto have gone there before. It's...quaint, if he had to describe it. Not quite to his tastes, but the coffee is good enough if one's desperate for a quick pick me up or absolutely needs their fix of caffeine to function. At the very least, Makoto enjoys the establishment, if only for their baked goods and hot cocoa. Which, considering what Byakuya had put together that morning, may have exactly been part of the problem.  
  
"So we get there and then we go to order our drinks," Makoto continues on. "I let Kyoko go first because I wanted to be polite, and she ordered her, uh...I don't actually remember what it was called exactly, but it was definitely some kind of coffee..."  
  
"If I recall correctly, Kyoko is particularly fond of a...cinnamon spiced coffee with a dash of cream stirred in, that sound about right?" Byakuya cuts in, because he's sure that if he doesn't this story is going to hang while Makoto struggles to recall the, frankly, not all that important detail and though it is true that Makoto's thinking face is handsome, he would much rather get a move on.  
  
Makoto blinks at the sudden interruption, but sure enough, once he's given the moment he needs to process the question, he slowly bobs his head in agreement. "Uh, yeah, that sounds familiar, I think. So right, she orders her, uh, y'know, that, and then the barista asks for my order. And...I don't know exactly what caused it, but for some reason, the whole situation made me feel really, I dunno, silly?" He pulls his shoulders up practically to his ears and sighs. "There's Kyoko, ordering her coffee like a mature adult and then there's me, ordering hot chocolate with whipped cream and a blueberry muffin. And then it just kind of stuck in my head, Kyoko drinks coffee, you drink coffee, my dad drinks coffee, even Hina and Sakura drink protein coffee. It just sort of made me feel...really childish in comparison."  
  
Makoto finishes his story and looks up at Byakuya tentatively, almost like he's still expecting to be laughed at despite already having been told that it's a ridiculous notion. He's also probably expecting some kind of response too, come to think of it, judging by the way he's watching. "Well," Byakuya starts, "you're right about one thing. Your behavior is very childish."  
  
"Wha-"  
  
"The idea," he goes on, refusing to let Makoto's outburst interrupt him, "that drinking coffee has anything to do with one's maturity level is incredibly shortsighted and foolish. No one is going to think any less of you as an adult if you don't drink coffee, Makoto. I certainly don't, and I sincerely doubt Kyoko would either, for that matter. Nor would your father, or Hina and Sakura."  
  
It takes some time for Makoto to respond to that. All he does is stare at first with an expression that Byakuya reads as confusion with perhaps a hint of embarrassment lying under the surface. However, slowly, the confusion melts away to be replaced with a bashful smile and he lets out a short, awkward chuckle. "Yeah, I figured it was going to sound dumb when I said it out loud."  
  
"Your feelings aren't dumb, simply unwarranted." Byakuya leans back into the couch cushions, arms crossed loosely over his chest. "Forcing yourself to drink coffee isn't going to change the fact that you're a grown man who pouts when he has to wake up too early, still struggles with tying his own tie, and enjoys far too much sugar in his drinks." As he lists off Makoto's less than mature habits, he takes notice of the way Makoto's expression wanes with each one and decides to cut straight to his point. Unfolding his arms as he leans closer, he takes one of Makoto's hands into his own and gently lays a kiss on his husband's knuckle. "But that's also the man I fell in love with, and I wouldn't trade him for anyone, least of all someone more mature."  
  
As he speaks, Makoto's face is overtaken by that same pink flush that he's come to adore so much and for a moment after he finishes, all Makoto is able to do is let his mouth hang open as he silently struggles to form a response. Eventually, he apparently settles on the most appropriate reply being, "I, uh - th-thanks."  
  
Byakuya can't help his amused snort. "Eloquent."  
  
"Look, we can't all be super handsome and charming smooth talkers like you!" Makoto says with his face still colored pink and a grin on his lips, lightly slapping Byakuya on the shoulder. "But...I guess that's the man I fell in love with, so I probably shouldn't be complaining. And, uh..." Makoto grabs the bag of coffee beans from where he left it sitting beside him and sets it down in his lap. "I never properly thanked you for this either, so...thanks for this too."  
  
"If you aren't interested in making yourself drink coffee anymore, that's perfectly fine as well. Don't think you'll be offending me if you don't want it," Byakuya says, adjusting his position on the couch so he can rest his arm on the back cushions, giving his hand the chance to run through Makoto's hair, while his other still has a hold on Makoto's left hand. His thumb finds his husband's wedding band and begins subconsciously rubbing at it.  
  
Makoto gently leans into the touch of Byakuya's fingers brushing against his scalp and murmurs in content. "No, I mean...I  _am_  interested in coffee, but - you said this is less bitter, right? 'Cuz yours is  _really_  bitter."  
  
"This is a light roast, compared to my usual medium-dark, so these beans will have less of the spice from the roasting process and more of the coffee's natural flavoring." Byakuya finally breaks away from holding Makoto's hand as he explains, pointing to some of the smaller labeling on the bag's back. "That, in combination with the infused vanilla flavoring, should make for a much smoother, less bitter cup of coffee that would require fewer additives after brewing to make it palatable for you."  
  
Makoto nods along as he speaks and, once he finishes, admits, "I...think I only understood about half of that. How do you know so much about coffee?"  
  
"I've been drinking it for a long time now; it would be stupid of me not to put effort into understanding it when even the slightest alteration in the process can wildly change the finished product," Byakuya answers before quickly adding, "I could teach more about it, if you'd like."  
  
"Yeah." Makoto smiles and sets the bag of beans onto to the coffee table so he can lean forward, nuzzling himself into Byakuya's side. Byakuya, in turn, brings his arm down to drape across Makoto's shoulders, pulling him in just a little closer so he can rest his chin atop Makoto's head. "I think I'd like that a lot."

**Author's Note:**

> fun fact: this was written because i am the Makoto in this fic. give me five sugars in my morning coffee or give me death.


End file.
